ConDem coalition to get Broadband Minister

The UK could get a new Broadband Minister within a week, according to the Department for Business, Innovation and skills.

Following calls from the Community Broadband Network, the newly-installed coalition government is rumoured to be looking in the direction of Tory Culture Minister Ed Vaizey who is said to be "on top of the issues".

Many of the previous government's plans to drag the UK's telecoms infrastructure into the 21st century were scrapped in the rush to boot Gordon Broon out of Number 10.

If Vaizey does take up the mantle and become the UK's digital guru, one of his first jobs will almost certainly be to sort out the mess that is the Digital Economy Act, which was forced through Parliament in the pre-election wash-up with a minimum of scrutiny.

Principle overload"We decided to support the Bill in principle," he said at the time. "We would have loved to scrutinise the clauses being debated now and to table and debate amendments in the House. However, we supported the Bill in principle, and we support the principle that something should be done to combat illegal file sharing. In fact, every single Labour Member who has spoken has said that they support the principle that something should be done to combat illegal file sharing; they simply said that there is not enough scrutiny to make the Bill work, and whose fault is that? It is the fault of Labour Members."

According to the BBC, telecoms regulator Ofcom is currently working on a code of conduct for ISPs which will attempt to clamp down on 'illegal' file sharing.

The new minister's remit will also include getting at least two-megabit broadband into every home in the UK, although some industry commentators are insisting that anything less then 100Mb will leave us lagging behind the rest of the world - yet again.